Lampbeam
Newly Enlightened
BVH, you are a wildman or woman. But are you sure 40,000,000 candle power will be enough?
My Holy Grail Has Been Found - Parts of One Anyway - SX-16 NightSun
- Thread starter BVH
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No, that's why I just had to have an 800,000,000 candle power Carbon Arc - just to see what it's like. Problem is.....everything else now pales in comparison - even the NightSun, the VSS-1 and VSS-3a. But I've learned to live with it. (Male by the way)
get-lit
Flashlight Enthusiast
I had been thinking of making a smaller, more affordable 300W P-VIP based light for my next project. But for a while now that carbon arc's had me thinking of going bigger instead of smaller with the next project. I have an idea for a portable light, something you can fit in the car trunk, that opens up to a massive high powered mega light. Not something you could carry around while in use, but something you could easily carry around while not in use.
Vehicle transportable! I can relate to that. I'm in!
Although the small P-VIP sounds like a lot of fun, too.
get-lit
Flashlight Enthusiast
Did some calculations... could hit 2,750 MCP (2.75 Billion CP) and 11,16,064 NL (net luminance or beam power) with the same lamp I'm using for the Nightsword with a lightweight expandable 6 foot reflector. Probably could weigh under 30 lbs total and have the beam power of around 30 Nightswords, the candlepower of 3.4 carbon arcs, maybe not the beam power of a carbon arc.
Or if you don't mind being tethered to 3-phase power, my all time favorite lamp could be used, the Xstage 7000W super short arc Xenon lamp, to get 3,500 MCP (3.5 Billion CP) and 6,031,536 NL. That would be the beam power of around 165 Nightswords, and the candlepower of 4.4 carbon arcs and with much more beam power as well.
The Quasar Project!
Or if you don't mind being tethered to 3-phase power, my all time favorite lamp could be used, the Xstage 7000W super short arc Xenon lamp, to get 3,500 MCP (3.5 Billion CP) and 6,031,536 NL. That would be the beam power of around 165 Nightswords, and the candlepower of 4.4 carbon arcs and with much more beam power as well.
The Quasar Project!
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MRsDNF
Newly Enlightened
I take my hat of to you BVH. I've just read your thread start to finish. What an amazing story that is still continuing. All the best for the future.
WOW Get-iit. Those are some amazing numbers. The three Phase power and the genny to produce it are probably a killer for me with my back and no one to share my passion and to help lift the items. What are the cold and hot pressures inside the 7KW lamp?
MrsDNF, I frequently ask myself why I'm still interested (a giant understatement) in HID/Short Arc searchlights. All my life, I've dabbled in hobbies and interests only to lose interest in a couple of years. It's going on 10 years now since I joined CPF. There's just something magic and addicting about this hobby and the jolt of excitement that goes through me when I find a new military or aviation searchlight is indescribable. The anticipation of the NightSword is barely containable! I'm still on the hunt for a couple others I'm aware of but have not seen.
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That really would blast the moon, maybe you could get a grant to create such a beast. The purpose of your light would be to act as a camera flash for the Hubble space telescope!
Onestep
Newly Enlightened
At what point do you just call it a laser?
Onestep
Newly Enlightened
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNUeSUXOc-w
BVH this could be the solution to your portability problems.
BVH this could be the solution to your portability problems.
get-lit
Flashlight Enthusiast
It would be as collimated as lasers, at 3.6 mrad. It would be mesmerizing seeing the beam start off 6' wide and appearing as small bright pinpoint in the clouds. If you were really going for that affect, the P-VIP type lamp could be used for 1 mrad, more candlepower but less net luminance (beam power). The beam diameter would widen by only 60% over 1 km.
This is something I'd look into further after the current project, and don't want to divert this thread any more.
This is something I'd look into further after the current project, and don't want to divert this thread any more.
Well it's been rainy and very windy for the last day and a half so I finally decided to change out the OEM reflector in the NightSun with the new, Enhanced reflector I bought when I first got the light. I've been holding off until I had some time on the light to ensure that there are no issues with it that might blow a lamp and therefore the new $1K reflector. I had not seen the new reflectors' surface until today because of the way it's packaged. I was very surprised how much of a difference there is. Whereas before, I would have rated the OEM unit as a 90, I'd now rate it an 75 on the 100-scale. I never measured the output so I won't know what a difference it has made except that new vrs new, there's a 20% increase in output. The geometry is the same, just a better coating. So maybe a 35 to 40% increase over what it was actually putting out. Now, what to do with the nice heavy gauge old one....
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No measurements were taken. Spectrolab rates the enhanced reflector at 20% more output that the standard unit. I'm just guessing the old one was losing 15 to 20% based on its' condition. Reflectors are difficult to get close-up of. I'll give it a try.
The new one is behind the glass window so I cannot duplicate the shot of the old one. But needless to say, there is no pitting what so ever.
Old
New
The new one is behind the glass window so I cannot duplicate the shot of the old one. But needless to say, there is no pitting what so ever.
Old
New
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get-lit
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ya most of the difference you're seeing has to be from degradation. I know the manufacturer of both those reflectors. When new, the original Rhodium was just as smooth as the Enhanced. But it's strange everything else on your unit seems to be in pristine condition.
MRsDNF
Newly Enlightened
The damage could of possibly come from the broken lens on delivery.
get-lit
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'm thinking someone may have used a solvent on the lens
Definitely the thin, long faint scratches came from the broken glass from the lens and the lamp. It's somewhat possible the pitting came as a result of the breakage of the lamp - although I would suspect that the lamp had leaked its' gasses because there's no real evidence of a catastrophic explosion. I think it's exactly as Get-lit says - age and maybe cleaning solution. No matter now, she's loaded with new ammo and ready to shoot! Get-lit, who is the mfg of the Spectrolab reflector?
get-lit
Flashlight Enthusiast
Optiforms Part#P33-02. Phoenix Electroformed was also involved at some point. I've received Rhodium reflectors from both companies and the surface is perfect just like in your last pic. Incidentally, I had several reflectors shipped out for an enhanced coating on the rhodium and they turned out somewhat like your first two pics.
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